Caged Birds
by Lilacsbloom
Summary: Telepathy, when two minds were one. She and Rion had always been together; even when they were miles apart, he was there. Connected, they were one and the same, and Lilia believed that's how it'd always be. How wrong she was.
1. Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather

**A/N:** Galerians is one of those series I've revisited on and off over the years, and despite all the time that's gone by and other series that I've long since outgrown from my teen years, this is one of those rare few that I've fallen in love with over and over again. That was why I knew I had to write something, and get this story out.

Going into Caged Birds, I wanted to do something that stayed true to the atmosphere and storytelling of the game and the Galerians: Rion film, but at the same time go in a different direction and give a fresh take on events. This is why I made the decision to follow solely Lilia's perspective, as to avoid treading familiar ground, and allow the opportunity to explore previous story elements that wouldn't be possible through a character suffering from amnesia.

All said and done, this won't be an accurate depiction of the Galerians, and by no means is this supposed to be. Even so, I hope that this is a story that all Galerian fans can enjoy. Whoever may still stumble across this part of the net still, this is for you.

* * *

 _ **Galerians  
Caged Birds**_

 _Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather_

* * *

Telepathy, when two minds were one. Through emotional and physical perceptions, whatever one felt so did the other. Yet, even years before being accustomed to the presence of another person inside her head, before the days of super computers, and genetically enhanced humans, Lilia could hardly remember a time in her life that Rion hadn't been there.

" _Something beginning with B. Come on Lilia, it's a good one!"_

Seven years old, she'd been playing on her swing set in her backyard one late afternoon. It'd been not long after Lilia's invasive brain surgery done in secrecy at the Steiner residence, where some weeks before that, Rion too underwent the same procedure. They weren't neighbors, the Steiners were upper class, a wealthy family, and so were the neighbors in that part of the forest district. Lilia had lived with her Papa some five minutes away by car in a lower class neighborhood. She was at home that day, and despite that fact, there she and Rion were, playing I Spy games as if he were on the swing right next to hers.

" _Is it books again?"_ Lilia had sent out telepathically, the young inner voice of her mind sounding exasperated.

Rion answered back almost instantly, his voice carried through the air like radio waves, to where it echoed inside Lilia's very skull with her own.

" _No, nuh uh."_

" _A box?"_ she'd asked

" _Not even close! And it's not blocks neither,"_ The youngster teased, a giddy feeling of excitement having crept up inside her stomach, the reaction transferred from the boy involuntarily.

She'd swung herself higher on that swing set, having wanted to sprout wings and launch herself up into the sky every time she reached the top. The cool breeze had flowed through her auburn hair freely, the feeling refreshing after having her head cooped up in bandages for over a week.

" _Rion, I give up. Just tell me."_

" _Okay, okay…boogers!"_

" _Eeew!"_

" _Hahaha!"_

The Steiners were rich yes, but never were they pompous. Albert and Elsa Steiner were good people, and so was their son, Rion. When had they all been introduced? That memory was unreachable to Lilia, but very likely it was Papa's and Albert Steiner's work as computer scientists that was to be held responsible for the two families meeting. Papa was always with Albert, working away in the basement at the Steiner residence on things she was too young to question or care about up until then. Nevertheless, it was as a result of that unknown work that most days Lilia would be left in the care of Albert Steiner's wife, and was allowed to roam free around the estate to play with Rion. That was how they became friends, but when exactly that happened was also a memory she was too young to remember.

Rion and she were close as children could be. They were the best of friends, almost family, and after the surgery, their bond became much stronger. It was all a side effect from having _secrets_ encoded into their brains, and by their own fathers. But even they, genius computer scientists with all their technical wisdom, couldn't have anticipated the link that would bind their two children's minds together like twins conjoined at the head.

It was almost child's play in the beginning, with so much fun it was having conversations that nobody could hear; the amount of strange looks received from family and others when spontaneously bursting out in a fit of laughter, they were long left unaccounted for. That was something Lilia remembered bittersweet about their childhood before and after they were separated, in that it was always Rion's mission to make her laugh. He used to be such a prankster at that age, always smiling...but Rion changed after what happened in that basement; it'd taken all those weeks after just for him to come out of his shell again.

The two children were told all they needed to know, or could understand at that age. Simply, something needed protecting, and so it was kept locked away inside their minds, and they weren't to talk about it or to share that knowledge with anyone. The same was said of their linked telepathy to one another once their parents had eventually found out about that too. In the beginning, they had little issue with her and Rion communicating telepathically, but when they got older, that changed.

"Lilia, we talked about this."

Her father had been in the doorway to their living room. How long he'd been standing there she wasn't sure, but long enough to have seen the smile on her face while sat quietly at the piano, staring at those music sheets. Lilia was ten years old then; still a beginner at the instrument, she was having private lessons every week and learning every day she could squeeze into her free time. She'd been practicing Hush Little Baby, her old favorite nursery rhyme, but halfway through she'd stopped to talk with Rion about some model boat he was putting together.

Lilia's lack of attention hadn't gone unnoticed by her father. Of course he had known what was really going on. He never was a stupid man.

"Talked about what?"

"Communicating with Albert's son," Papa said sternly. "You know this can't go on."

"I'm not," Lilia insisted, and went back to playing Hush Little Baby, her fingers having glided quickly over the piano keys that she hit a few notes wrong. A temper had built within herself, which she'd tried to keep controlled, but while attempting to get back into creating something that didn't resemble a cumbersome tune, Rion's voice was to have echoed distant in her mind.

" _Lilia, what's wrong? Why are you angry?"_

" _My father caught me. He knows we've been talking."_

" _Oh…just pretend you're crazy."_

" _Rion!"_

" _What? It worked with mine."_

" _No it didn't. You said they—"_

"Lilia, are you listening?" her father cut in.

"Yes!" she'd answered stubbornly, her hands slamming down on the piano keys abruptly with a thunderous boom. "I told you, we're not talking!"

They had argued about it much before, Papa losing more of his patience every time she disobeyed. It was the same on Rion's end too with his parents saying the same thing that the two of them shouldn't communicate. It was because of Dorothy, the new aged computer their fathers had created to protect Michelangelo City. They had lost control of her three years before that, leading to the decision of them undergoing the surgery on their two children, hiding a failsafe should things take a turn for the worst. She and Rion however hadn't take it seriously enough. Dorothy despite being beyond the control of their fathers by then, hadn't done anything wrong as far as they'd been aware of, and saw their parents' rules as nothing more than excuses to sever ties to their friendship and keep them apart.

Fortunately on that occasion, her father showed her some leniency. He'd walked over, kneeling down by her side where'd she sat at the piano, with empathy reflected in his grey eyes behind those thin spectacles. From the light cast from the window, Lilia had seen herself reflected in those glass lenses, tiny and insignificant. He'd still viewed her as his little girl, his little princess.

"I know this hasn't been easy for you. I'm sorry," Papa apologized, and meant it. "We shouldn't have dragged you into this, both you and Rion."

Lilia wasn't able to look at him, distracting herself with the music sheets resting on the music rack. She'd skimmed over lines of notes, forcing herself to play again, her feet working the pedals as Rion had talked to her once more.

" _What's your father saying now?"_

" _He says he's sorry."_

" _About what?"_

 _"Not now okay."_

Papa's hand had lightly touched her shoulder. "Lilia? Lilia, look at me."

The music disrupted, Lilia stared her father down with contempt, yet she'd soon found it a difficult act keep up when he'd spoken to her what he had next. "You need to be more careful. This isn't just our lives that could be at stake…but none of that will matter if I lose you."

Mother, she died from cancer not long after Lilia was born. Papa couldn't have prevented it, and still he'd blamed himself. If only he'd persuaded her to go to the hospital sooner when she'd started to feel unwell, maybe things would've been different…that's what he'd always said. Lilia was certain they were the events that triggered Papa's involvement with Mr. Steiner and creating Dorothy, in the hopes of stopping any preventable tragedies befalling others.

" _I'm not Mom."_

" _What? Lilia I never said you were—"_

"Now promise me you'll put an end to this, or we'll put an end to it for you," her father warned, stepping away to leave. "Or at the very least, learn to control it. One day all of this will be over, but until then—"

"I know, Papa," Lilia had said, holding back on an apology. She'd had nothing to be sorry for.

* * *

Different schools, different districts, she and Rion lived separate lives on opposite sides of Michelangelo City for many years. Rion's voice lacked its perfect clarity as it did when they lived nearby to each other—the distance putting a strain on their abilities. At least he'd still been there through the use of their telepathy, and been able to talk with her practically every day. They hadn't seen each other for years, but in reality, they had never truly been apart. For Papa to want to try and take that away, it had left Lilia fuming. He himself should've known what it was like, being connected to somebody in such a way, only to be unable to see them anymore, or to be fully part of their lives. Lilia had thought him a hypocrite.

Years went by and the uncertainty forever continued hanging over her and Rion as to when this stupid hiding game would end. Gradually during that time, Papa had revealed more to her about the artificial intelligence he and Mr. Steiner created to serve humanity. Dorothy was situated within the Mushroom Tower, in the very beating heart of the Michelangelo City; she functioned as its super computer, a machine that could be everywhere at once and maintain a level of security unfeasible by humans. Since being put into operation, crime rate was down, and there were fewer fatalities. Dorothy's influence over the city was vast, with the ability to alert the emergency services and police to an accident or criminal activity through video surveillance and other means, even to having the security forces under her control, which guarded her day and night.

Self-aware with a great hunger for knowledge, Dorothy's frequent questioning over her identity and role as a protector of Michelangelo City had brought about concern to Papa and Albert, long before the A.I went about the means to protect herself from both her creators and others from doing anything that may pose a threat to her existence. To their fathers, Dorothy was an unpredictable machine with her own consciousness that no longer functioned as they saw fit. However, there was no indication then that she might turn against mankind, if anything it was far from it. Dorothy had still been doing her job in watching over the human race; it was on the news every day, how that super computer had saved countless lives.

How could Lilia believe Dorothy was wicked, when she'd done so many good things and helped so many people? A guardian angel the A.I was often referred to by the populous, with some even viewing her as a god. Stupid to think, that there was a time Lilia felt pity for Dorothy over their fathers trying to keep her under their control. She'd even believed herself and that A.I to be alike in some strange ways…even so, all that time with nothing happening and becoming convinced their parents were overreacting for nothing, it'd caused for her and Rion to get reckless. They lived in a false sense of security, their lives carrying on as normally as they could do in this day and age.

After all those years, they were frustrated up at being kept apart by their parents and playing by the rules. They'd had enough.

" _I want to see you."_

Her friend had spoken those words sometime early into the night while Lilia was up playing the colored-coded memory puzzle Papa built for her—the one he'd insisted she play a few days every week. Her father and Rion's parents didn't complain of them talking telepathically anymore, for they have learned to conceal it even from them, putting on an expressionless mask whenever they'd talked while in the company of others. They were still careful when they communicated, being wary of onlookers. Their most preferred time to talk was in their bedrooms late at night when their parents slept, so they wouldn't be disturbed. Their minds would flow more freely with chitchat then, they could be themselves.

From that long distance friendship, they'd adapted their activities far beyond those days of I Spy. Often they liked to play board games, like ludo, snakes & ladders, battleships, backgammon, and in to those recent months, chess. Then there were TV shows they'd arrange to watch together, or get identical copies of films and press play on the remote at the same time so they didn't miss a beat. When they weren't playing games, the talk of school, family and friends occupied most days, and of unfortunately, both their fathers' jobs and the lack they saw of them. Lilia was used to Papa being busy and not around the house so much, but Mr Steiner? Rion was often mad that his father's work took priority over him and his mother, and blamed him for a lot of things…

That was another reason her and Rion were so close, because through their bond they were always together, more so than they were with their own parents. _'I want to see you'_ it wasn't a simple _'I miss seeing you in person'_ , Rion meant much more than that.

Lilia immediately stopped playing with the handheld device on her bed, two of the large buttons still illuminated in their colors of red and blue from the remainder of the memory combination she was yet to input. A feeling of nervousness tightened in her chest the longer she went on remaining silent.

Rion sensed it.

" _Lilia?"_

" _We can't do that. We'll get into trouble."_

" _No we won't, not if they don't ever find out."_

" _Rion…"_

Her friend was quiet for a moment, a bitterness tinged on his telepathic voice when he replied, and Lilia felt that fiery anger from him burning in her chest.

" _Who cares what they think? We haven't seen each other since we were little—seven years, Lilia. I'm sick of being controlled and told what to do. I'm not a puppet, not to anybody."_

Rion, he'd been becoming more rebellious after his sixteenth birthday, getting into more spats with his father and what not. Just that month before he'd gone and gotten his ear pierced against his parents' wishes, and he'd been talking to Lilia for weeks about getting some skull tattoo upon gaining her approval [since those things hurt] only, Rion kept putting off because he didn't like needles.

Sneak a swing of scotch from his father's office, sure, but sneak off to see each other? That'd been a new one. Rion had never said that before.

Lilia was to have glanced at the closed door to her bedroom, picturing her father standing there, judging her for even considering breaking his trust over such a thing…but it'd only fueled her courage. Lilia took what Rion said seriously, wondering why should she care anymore what Papa might thought of them? The years apart from Rion were driving her berserk with only him for company as a voice inside her head, feeling what he felt, but not physically being there with him. She'd needed to see Rion as much he needed to see her, and just like her friend, she too grew weary of the control over their lives.

" _I know,"_ Lilia had said at last. _"It's not fair how they keep us from each other. I miss hanging out like we used to."_

" _Then lets."_

" _What?"_

" _Hang out, Lilia."_

That feeling of nervousness in her chest had tightened, and so had her grip on her puzzle game.

" _Wait, right now? But where, it'll be nightfall soon."_

" _The carnival, remember? We can go there."_

They had talked about it the day before out of nostalgia, the carnival some miles out on the outskirts of Michelangelo City. It used to come around that time of year, and as children, they had gone there with their parents. The tradition stopped once they were separated. It was part of the no go zone Papa called it. She and Rion had been made to stay apart to the extent they couldn't go to places where they might bump into each other, especially not within Michelangelo City itself, of which was Dorothy's domain. The carnival wasn't directly in Michelangelo City however, and Papa had long to gone to bed to sleep, so…

Lilia had switched off her puzzle game, leaving it on the bed. Her decision had already been made.

" _Okay. I'll get ready."_

To that, Rion's voice perked up with both surprise and excitement.

" _Really?"_

" _Yes."_

They arranged to meet up at a park they used to play at not far from the carnival. It was a half an hour ride on Lilia's bike, but it was worth every mile. Sneaking off to meet in the past was never something they'd tried. Papa often kept tabs on her and where she was during the day, and the same it was for Rion with his parents as well. As children, they had followed those rules blindly for years, but no more. Where she and Rion had become foolish in thinking they were free of any danger posed by super computers, so did their parents slack off in believing their children wouldn't disobey them to such extremities.

Wrapped up in her favor pink coat and wearing that old favorite beige beanie of hers, Lilia had left her bicycle resting against a seesaw in the park's playground, deciding to find a seat on the swing set nearby just as the streetlamps began flickering on. In those days of not living on the run, she wasn't used being out that late, but fears of the dark couldn't deter the excited butterflies in her stomach. It'd taken Rion just a little longer to get there, living the farthest away, and having taken a tram ride to reach her. She'd sensed him coming, that connection strengthening from the distance between them, with her friend's voice growing much louder and that more clearer every time he told her he wasn't far.

When a skinny teenager in his dark hoodie and jeans walked into the playground from the park, Lilia didn't have to be cautious, or question his identity. Even with the hood up over his head, casting an eerie shadow over his face, she'd known it was Rion just by their link, just as he had with her upon stopping in his tracks when finally spotting her.

" _Rion!"_

Nothing was able to hold Lilia back. She'd gone running from the swings, almost tackling her friend over as she'd charged at him, throwing her arms around his neck into a long overdue hug. Like two magnets snapping together, that telepathy was amplified tenfold the moment they made contact. Rion had been happy to see her, the raw emotion so powerfully felt like electricity coursing through them, as if they were one of the same…just like when they were kids. She had missed it.

" _It's you! You came!"_ Lilia had worded in her mind, squeezing her friend tightly.

A startled cry to her over-expressive nature had quickly changed to chortles of laughter from Rion. His delay only brief in resting his hands on her back, with a warm but nervous feeling having resonated within herself, informing Lilia he was too embarrassed to return the gesture as affectionately. When they'd eventually pulled away, that buzzing electricity shared through their bond decreased, reverting to what it was.

She had seen the hint of a shy smile curving the corners of his mouth, and so good it was just to see it there, to see _him_.

"You got tall," Rion had said, the first time in seven years for Lilia to have been hearing his voice directly from him and not from inside her head. That boyish tone had deepened over the last couple of years, carried over even through their telepathic conversations, but a shock it was to see him and the nine year old he wasn't anymore. Standing only just a few inches taller than her, his shoulders were broad and jaw-line more defined with those once pudgy cheeks thinning out. Lilia's childhood friend had grown and was becoming a man, but the deep blueness of his eyes, they remained the same.

Rion had been looking her over too, likely being on that same train of thought on how much she'd changed as well while he'd pulled down his hoodie, revealing that dirty blond hair of his, and a silver parent-defying ring piecing on his left ear. Having become conscious of their close proximity to one another, Lilia had stepped back to give him space.

"You too," she'd replied, her cheeks having burned with heat.

* * *

They had never felt so free that night. They were like escape convicts, their time together criminal and they didn't care. For just once, they weren't spectators checking in on one another lives, but experiencing the same things together in each others company. Fitting it was that they'd chosen the carnival to hang out at, as it brought back so many good memories there, and created some new ones. The Ferris wheel and all the other amusements were lit up like flashing Christmas lights, loud party music coursing through the air, and so, so many people, families with small kids and young couples, groups of friends with some at the high school age like them. It was great being out in public like that having a good time, and not having to pretend they didn't exist to each other.

She and Rion must've spent hours there, riding the bumper carts, going on the scary big dropper— which Rion made her ride twice! They'd ventured into the house of mirrors after that, having a good laugh trying to chase each other in that maze of a place and bumping into their own reflections more than once. They'd had their fair share of attempts outsmarting the near unbeatable carnival games as well, from the tossing the basketballs through the hoops, to the shooting plastic duck targets. Then of course there was the arcade, where they'd had their rounds of whack the mole, and DDR, to which Lilia learned Rion still had two left feet.

After chilling out for a bit eating candy floss and downing some sugar high fizzy drinks, she and Rion tried their luck at the classic high striker, seeing who could hit the puck the highest and chime the bell at the very top of the tower. A blackboard sign drawn in chalk prompted up next to the owner of the amusement stated 'STRIKE THE BELL, WIN A STUFFED TOY'.

"Ladies first," Rion had said with a smile to her, having done a silly bow upon stepping aside. Lilia had braved it by picking up the second mallet of the five on offer. Giving it the best swing she could, she'd slammed it down onto the metal level.

The puck didn't even reach halfway up the tower, the colorful bright bulbs lighting up to where they were to have stopped on the marked score of 170 points.

"Not bad girl," had said the twenty-something male owner of the high striker, standing nearby with the enthusiasm of a dead fish as he'd slurped from his can of soda. Lilia felt deflated.

"Here, let me have a go," taking up their second try, Rion went for the fourth mallet up on the heavy factor, almost too heavy as if trying to show off. He'd gritted his teeth, just having managed to swing the mallet from over his shoulder. The puck shot up higher, stopping bang in the middle at 250 points. The top score seemed impossible even for Rion.

The owner hadn't reacted that time, the man's eyes on a group of women chatting and laughing over at a nearby burger bar who looked pretty from what Lilia remembered. The guy was much too distracted to pay them any mind.

" _Together."_

Hearing that, Rion had set mallet back and went for the fifth biggest one he'd decline to use just moments ago. Almost lugging the thing over to her, Lilia had grabbed onto the mallet with him from her side, afterwards of which Rion mentally began a countdown.

" _Ready? One, two…"_

On three, they'd heaved, their muscles straining as they lifted mallet up to shoulder height and gave it all they'd got. The mallet slammed with a hard wham on the level and up the puck shot, the multicolored bulbs of that tower lighting up speedily right behind it.

 _ **Dong!**_

The bell tolled. They'd hit the top, the full 500 points.

The owner had turned back towards them by the sound, but already Rion was to have slipped his grip free from the mallet and quickly stepped away, leaving Lilia alone still holding the thing confused as he'd started clapping to applaud her, until…

"Wow! I didn't know you had it in you, Lilia!" Rion had reacted with an added shock factor, pretending he had been watching the whole time. The owner was gob smacked, accidently spilling some of his soda on his shoes over their teenage trickery.

The fool actually bought it

Lilia had won a large stuffed doll of a clown on offer, but she had later given it away to a small boy with his mother, unable to keep it. No evidence could be brought back with them, even if she'd loved clowns. But there was still some sweet justice sort from outsmarting the owner of the high striker, and that was rewarding enough.

The Ferris wheel was the last thing they went on, and by Lilia's own insistence after she couldn't get Rion to go on the merry-go-round with her for what he'd considered himself to have outgrown. Rion said the same about the Ferris wheel, remarking it as boring, but he braved it in the end after being persuaded, or rather Lilia having pulled at his arm until he'd let her drag him over to the line. Serenity radiated from him while they were up there though, his arm propped up one of the bars of that boxed carriage, a hand tucked under his chin while he'd stared quietly out across to the lights of Michelangelo city some miles away beyond the blackened landscape. Rion's precious complaints vanished, he'd been enjoying himself more than he would've admitted.

That peaceful mood didn't last however. The Mushroom Tower had been lit up that night too, small and distant over the city, but it was there, breaking away the calm, and digging up the troubled doubts always to have lurked somewhere in the back of their minds.

"Do you think it's true?"

Lilia's question caused for her friend to switch his gaze away from the lit up city, to where she'd been sat across from him. Rion raised a question back in return.

"What our parents worry about?"

She'd sucked on her bottom lip, her unease building from that the view of the Mushroom Tower standing menacing over the city. The carriage of that Ferris wheel began to feel claustrophobic, boxing them in like a cell.

"Rion, did they ever tell you what they put inside our heads?"

"No. Father never tells me anything other than the basics. I tried. Him and Mother, they never talk." His brows knitted together in frustration, soon to have risen in curiosity at her. "How about you?"

"Papa, he just says it's important, and the usual stuff about Dorothy, but that's it."

"Yeah, same."

There was so much she and Rion still weren't aware of at the time, nothing of Dorothy's plan that were to be advancing, and the serious danger they were all in. If they had been aware, not kept protected like children, maybe, they might not have snuck out that night, or might have chosen a less public place to meet, maybe...

Rion had spoken after a while. "I think I have some idea."

"What?"

Their side of Ferris wheel on the descent, Rion had rested his arm on the side of the carriage, his fingers drumming at the metal cage. "What could destroy a super computer like Dorothy?"

Lilia's body had tensed up, her blood going cold upon clinging to the edge of her seat.

"A…A bomb!?"

"Too easy, and not discreet enough," Rion had simply stated, turning towards the Mushroom Tower just before it was to disappear behind some of the carnival attractions. "I doubt that would have much effect anyway, to a machine like her, or they would have done that years ago…you're the one the brains, Lilia. You can figure it out."

Her fears put to rest of such nasty things planted in her head, Lilia had thought about it a little longer, on how both their fathers were computer scientists. Like that, it'd clicked.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, exactly."

Neither openly said it, but they were on the same page.

Upon leaving the sights and sounds of carnival, they returned to the playground to where her bicycle was left hidden in the bushes, so nobody would potentially steal it. Rion offered to escort her back home because it was so late, and to delay the inevitable goodbyes just a little longer. Lilia had let him peddle while she'd hitched a ride on the back, sitting on the bars her old bicycle carrier used to be on before the straps broke. Her feet balanced between the joints connecting the bike's hind spinning wheel, her arms had been wrapped around her friend's waist, a hand resting up on his chest, feeling a heartbeat pumping strongly as he'd peddled those miles home. Lilia's heart had been beating the same rhythm, but for a different reason.

Almost timid to do so, she'd slowly leaned her head against Rion's back in the space between his shoulder blades, that magnetic energy surging more intensely like a lifeline between them. Lilia felt relieved when his body remained relaxed and he didn't say anything. They didn't need to talk, not through their minds or their mouths. Rion was content, like her.

Lilia had wished the night didn't have to end…but it did. They'd stopped a street away from her house, where it'd been time for things to go back to the way they were.

"Will you be okay getting back by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll take the tram again. I'll be fine.""

Their hands brushed upon Rion surrendering over her bicycle, the contact of warm skin almost like a spark to hers that Lilia felt herself going red in the face again. In a moment of spontaneous thought, she'd wanted to drop that bike on the ground and hug her friend again, but the longer Lilia was stood hesitating, so had she eventually lost her nerve. Lilia reasoned herself out of it, believing it would only make Rion embarrassed like before, with irrelevant afterthought of not wanting to scratch up the paint on her bicycle to only be to a year old. She wished now, she hadn't made excuses.

Anxiously Lilia had squeezed the handles, slightly slippery from the sheen of sweat on the rubber. Her eyes had been cast down on the ground, their shadows split into two by the streetlamps of the neighborhood. Her cheeks were still burning, and she found it difficult to meet his gaze.

"I had a really good time. Thanks, Rion."

"Me too," Her friend had been reluctant to go, a long time passing between them with neither one speaking. Rion kicked at the pavement, his hands in his pockets and eyes to the ground, like there was something he wanted to say or was expecting her to, Lilia wasn't sure. But just for a moment, he'd reminded her of that little boy from years ago, his face so bashful…it was cute.

At last Rion was to have stepped back, giving a farewell gesture with his hand as he'd pulled up his hoodie.

"I'll see ya."

"Yeah, you too."

Stood on the sidewalk, Lilia had watched him walk away, leaving in the physical sense, but not in her mind…and yet still, it took everything in her to resist the tug in her heart to not to follow right after him.

Rion had gone just ten or so paces from her, when he'd stopped and turned back around.

"Hey Lilia," He'd called out in a loud whisper.

"What?"

Even in the low visibility, she'd caught sight of that hinted smile to his lips.

"Take two sometime. What do you think?"

Break the rules again, sneak out and go on another adventure with her friend? How could Lilia have refused when things seemed much simpler than they were? Her heartbeat fast, her insides welled with excitement.

"Yeah," she'd replied, beaming a smile back. "Take two."

* * *

There never was a next time.

While her father hadn't initially suspected a thing, having been sound asleep in his room the entirety of the time Lilia was away at the carnival, it wasn't such a clean get away for Rion. His parents found out about him sneaking out. Elsa Steiner, Rion's mother, had gone to check on him, only to find her son not in his room or anywhere in the house. Rion was caught red-handed walking in through the front door by his parents as they'd been preparing to go out and search for their son.

There'd been a huge argument between Rion and his father, with Albert Steiner having struck his son when things escalated. Rion didn't have to mention that part, because Lilia sure as anything felt it as she'd been jolted awake by the pain shooting across the side of her face after only just drifting off. Upon having sat up, Lilia became overcome from the sudden intake of negative emotions to have swept through her as she'd begun shaking, her cheek throbbing and sore.

" _What happened? Rion, what's going on?"_

…

 _"Rion!?"_

" _My parents caught me...I'm sorry, Lilia."_

Papa had found out about them sneaking out that following morning, after the two computer scientists met in person at their house. Albert Steiner had driven all the way over as they dared not talk over the phone incase Dorothy listened in. That was always something drilled into Lilia's head as a child, to never speak of anything crucial on the phone, or the internet for those same reasons.

"He insists he didn't meet with her, but I know my own son; he was lying!" Albert had spouted to her father in the small main hallway of their house, unaware she was upstairs listening. "Have you spoken with Lilia? Has she said anything to you?"

"No, no she's still in her room asleep," Papa had replied, having sounded grave, and looked it too. "But I don't doubt your accusations being false. Lilia's been a closed book to me since I ask her not to speak by those means anymore, and that's not who she is. Perhaps I should've trusted my better judgment…"

Lilia had dug her nails into her palms, her body pressed against the wall by the stairs, keeping much of herself hidden from view. Her heels were pressed down hard into the carpet, doing all she could to not go charging down there to confront them.

"See, what did I tell you? They're still communicating, Pascalle; there's no other explanation," Albert said getting more erratic by the second. Pacing back and forth, the man had tightened that ugly striped tie of his, smoothing out his short graying hair. "This could've been going on for months, _years_. The other week my son had his chessboard set up in the midst's of a match; told me he was studying game strategies. The amount of times I've heard him make excuses like that…hah, that boy's become nothing but a compulsive liar."

At that précised moment upon being mentioned by his father, Rion's voice just so happened to pop into her head.

" _Lilia, we gotta talk. I just spoke to my mother and she said—"_

" _About your father? He's here right now talking to Papa."_

" _Already!? What are they—"_

" _Quiet! I'm listening!"_

Ignoring her friend's demands to know what was happening, Lilia honed her attention back upon their fathers. The next part spoken by Albert, she remembered at the time, confused her.

"If anything were to have happened last night, it could've been over. You know how temperamental those programs are—"

"Yes, I know. This can't be allowed to go on," Papa said, rubbing his chin. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it must. They can't be trusted anymore with their telepathy. We'll have to do it."

Lilia's body had gone cold in that instance. 'Do what?' She'd questioned to herself, the unknown having alarm bells going off inside her. Even then Lilia felt it, that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

" _What are they saying? Lilia? Lilia—"_

" _I think…they want to put a stop to us talking."_

 _"What? How!?"_

" _I don't know!"_

Lilia wasn't able to remain hidden any longer. She'd gone hurrying down the stairs, raising her voice defiantly towards the two men before she'd even reached the bottom. "Just take it out of our heads. Whatever you put in there just get rid of it! I don't want to do this anymore!"

The two computer scientists were taken off guard by her presence. Turning to her, both momentarily stunned, it was Papa who was the one to speak first. "Lilia, I'm sorry, but it isn't as simple as that—"

"Yes it is! You can just take it out!"

"No, we can't," Albert cut in. "It's not like computers, Lilia; the programs are encoded into your brains. There's no extracting them, not outside of the means they were intended by. It would kill you both."

It wasn't as great a shock as it could've been hearing that after what she and Rion talked of the night before. Her friend hadn't been far wrong. After so many years of their fathers work on computers and organic circuitry, the idea of programs inside their heads hadn't sounded so farfetched. But it was violating, worse than a bomb being planted in her brain. She'd been bitter for years, and finally knowing what they were…she was angry they'd been put there in the first place, and without their consent.

" _They can't do this, Lilia!"_

"Then make other programs," she'd said. "Whatever they are, make other copies and leave us out of it!"

"There are no other copies," Papa had explained, with the slight rattle of his glasses irritating her as he'd adjusted them on his nose. "Dorothy became suspicious some years ago, so we destroyed all the data to cover our tracks; we had to do it or the programs might've fallen into her clutches. It was a complex virus, Lilia, it and the program to launch it. It would take us years recreate them and we don't have the computers feasible of attempting that anymore."

She'd thought of it then, back to that time when she was a little girl, when Papa had carried her down into the dingy basement of the Steiner's estate. There'd been a strange chair with high bars surrounding it like a cage, wires and cables everywhere, and the loud buzzing of computers. With Albert present, they'd made her sit in that strange chair, strapped her right in and put some strange headpiece on her, before Papa had given her a shot, assuring Lilia everything would be okay. Teary-eyed, she'd gotten sleepy and drifted off, and woken hours later, her head aching and bandaged, and her father at her bedside in one of the Steiner's spare rooms. His big hand had been holding her smaller one, his eyes red from crying. Papa never left her side.

Being sedated, it saved her from feeling any pain of the virus program being encoded into her brain, but Rion to have undergone the same producer before her, he wasn't that lucky. He'd been wide awake, because their fathers had never used that machine on a human before, and weren't aware of the full extent of what it would do to him. Rion recounted it to her many times over the years, how it'd felt like his head was being split open and torn apart despite being given something for the pain. Even at that age of seven, she'd been well aware of the traumatic effect it'd had on him at the time, that when it was to be her turn, she'd been afraid to go down there, crying as she'd pleaded not to be hurt like her friend…

Rion shouted to her telepathically then while she stood with their fathers in that hallway, his anger mutual with hers.

" _No way am I letting him put me back in that chair! I'm not going through that again, Lilia! I won't do it! "_

Papa had reached for her as she'd been tearing up, his hands gently having laid on her shoulders. "If we could scan both your brains and the copy the programs off that way, we would've done so years ago, especially if we'd known in hindsight the extremities Dorothy would go to, but that isn't how it works. It's impossible to reverse it now. I'm sorry, Lilia."

"No!" Lilia wrenched herself away, seeing nothing but red. Her anger was an inferno, channeled through from Rion, growing stronger with her own. "Don't do that! Nothing you say will ever make it better! You went and stuck these, t-these things in our heads when were only children, and then you took me away from my best friend. You still won't let me see him!"

"You foolish girl!"Albert yelled at her curtly. "This isn't about us; it's about the fate of humankind, _**mankind's existence**_ and every other living thing on this planet! If you thought beyond adolescent hormones, you would realize what we've done is for the greater good!

" _What are they saying? Don't leave me in the dark!"_

Lilia had shaken her head. "That's no excuse! We never asked to be part of this. We were just kids! Who does that to their own children!?"

"We didn't have a choice!" Albert defended.

"Yes you did!" Lilia shot back. "You could've chosen anyone else, but you chose us, me and _**your own son!**_ I'm not stupid, I remember. Rion nearly died because of you!"

With a bed stricken fever, spending days drifting in and out of consciousness, that small boy had looked like he was on his deathbed whenever she'd gone to visit, with Elsa always there watching over her boy. His mother had always put on a brace face in Lilia's company, promising her that Rion would be fine in no time, but her eyes didn't lie. No nine-year-old or parent should've had to deal with that. Lilia was only fortunate her symptoms weren't as severe.

Her words had hit their mark. Albert had gone pale in the face, almost falling back a step as if he'd been physically punched. "That wasn't…it was a mistake. We didn't know that would happen!"

"Didn't know!? How does that change anything?" She had screamed at the man. "How does that justify anything you did as a father!?"

"Lilia," Papa interrupted, moving towards her. "Lilia, that's enough now!"

" _He never said anything to me!"_ Rion's voice had spoken angrily in her mind. _"All his garbage talk about doing it for the sake of mankind, and he treats us like tools!"_

"You're communicating right now aren't you? Rion's telling you to say all these things!" Albert had accused, livid with such rage Lilia almost back off, but she had stood her ground.

"No, but he wants to," She'd answered bitterly. "He hates you for treating him like a tool."

"Stop it!"

"It's the truth!"

He'd gone at her, grabbing her wrist tightly, as ready to strike her. "You listen to me—"

"Albert!" Papa silenced the fuming man, quick to break them apart and to protect her. He'd taken Lilia by the shoulders, escorted promptly, if forcibly towards the stairs. "Go to your room, Lilia. We'll discuss this later.'

"Papa—"

"I said go to your room!"

Her father's word was final, and the look he gave her warned Lilia he wouldn't tolerate anymore outbursts from her. She'd said nearly all she'd needed to say, but still...

Ousted from the argument, Lilia unwillingly climbed the stairs, feeling as steady as a person made of cards. She'd been physically shaking, unsure if she wanted to scream or cry. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Lilia turned and her eyes focused on Mr. Steiner just as he'd collapsed into a chair in that hall, face buried in his hands after he'd insisted he was fine when quizzed by Papa. Albert's rage was fast depleting, once more he'd resembled the fatigued father that he was, with the weight of world heavy on his shoulders, as it was on all of them.

Guilt never entered her mind at the time; Lilia was too upset to care.

"He wasn't lying, about the chess game," she'd called out, causing Mr. Steiner to look irritability up at her. His mouth was open as if to say something in retaliation, but Lilia had continued before he could, her words rushing out to beat him. "Rion's been practicing because he wants to get as good as you, so you'll play a match with him…if you gave him the time of day, you'd know that."

She'd left after that, not hanging around for a response, or to see his reaction. Lilia returned to the broken sanctuary of her bedroom, the door being closed behind her just before she crumbled to the floor, still gripping the handle. Finally, she'd cracked.

Rion's voice brought little comfort. _"Are you okay? Lilia, talk to me. What's going on?"_

" _I'm in my room now. Papa, he made me go."_

" _What happened?"_

Her back leaned against the door, she had look around at the clutter of her bedroom, and no longer did it feel like a home. She wanted to be anywhere but there.

" _I messed up. I'm sorry,"_ Lilia told him, her telepathic voice betraying everything to him that she wished it hadn't. _"Nothing I said made any difference. I think I only made things worse for us."_

" _Lilia..."_

She'd hugged her knees to chest, feeling the first waves of the tears coming. The murmurs through the door from their fathers talking downstairs had been near unintelligible in her bedroom, but Lilia knew by that point, whatever they were discussing, it wouldn't end well.

" _Fight it."_

Rion sounded puzzled. _"Fight what?"_

" _I don't know,"_ Lilia had replied with, bowing her head so her auburn hair fell like a curtain over the sides of her face, shutting out the world from her field of vision. If only she could've turned invisible and be gone from that place. _"Whatever they do to us…fight it, Rion."_

Her friend hadn't replied straight away, but a determinant type of bravery was outspoken in his tone when he finally did. And yet, there was no hiding anything from her either, because Rion's certainty over everything being alright, it wasn't there. He was scared too.

" _I'll try."_


	2. Chapter 2 A Fate Worse Than Death

**A/N:** Been a while since I worked on this. I was on sertraline tablets for anxiety for a while and from taking them they actually stumped me creatively. I struggle to put pen to paper, and haven't written much of anything in the last year. Since getting my life more in order, I want to make more effort with my stories so I'm going to focus on them, like this one.

Consider this the last chapter for past events, before it continues into the timeline of the game. Remember it'll be a reenvisioning, so no following line for line, word for word when it gets to familiar events. At that, I'm sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _ **Galerians**_  
 _ **Caged Birds**_

 _Chapter 2: A fate worse than death_

* * *

Fight. Lilia told him to fight. But fighting didn't do anything; they couldn't do _anything_. It was beyond their control, and it always had been. Their fathers had brought them into this—caused all of this, and it wasn't fair. The two computer scientists' intentions had been for the greater good, but they had no idea of the evil they would create, and what it would do to them.

For days after the carnival, things were rocky between Lilia and her father. No matter how much she tried tell him otherwise, Papa and Mr. Steiner were utterly convinced their children had been sneaking off more than once, even if that weren't the case. Papa's work schedule changed. He was home she was home, and he began dropping and picking her up from school. In the evening times, he'd lock the doors and windows and kept the keys with him while he worked in his study. Papa never said she was grounded, but that essentially was what it was, or house arrested as Rion put it.

The same thing had been happening to her friend too.

" _Mother's not so bad, but Father won't stop giving me a hard time. 'Don't do this, don't do that' he doesn't shut up Lilia. He even locked the mechanism for that trapdoor—remember the one they put in my bedroom a few years ago?"_ Rion had sounded frustrated as she'd felt at the time, their moods rubbing too much off of one another. _"They want to get me a private tutor too, keep me homed schooled instead so they can keep me locked up in here for God knows how long. It's driving me insane."_

It'd been impulse—that was problem. They met on impulse, and they didn't plan anything. Planning could've prevented so much, they could've met in secret at a better suited time. Lilia remembered wishing she'd talked Rion out of going to the carnival, if it saved them from this mess.

A week went by, then two. Things improved a bit with their parents, though the circumstances didn't. Still, Lilia was relieved her Papa wasn't giving her such a hard time anymore, though he flat out refused to discuss to her anything about Rion, so she kept quiet. And Rion, he'd been in a better mood, but…well, it wasn't easy. He never did like being told what to do.

A mutual belief developed between them, that perhaps their fathers had put the sneaking off incident behind them, and wouldn't carry out the threats Lilia overheard from the two men those weeks before. 'Things will blow over,' Rion kept telling her, and Lilia foolishly believed him, and he believed himself.

And then it happened.

It was during school hours. Lilia was in class having to sit through a boring lecture from her history teacher Mrs. Peacham, about a war some two centuries ago in the 2300s. History was not a subject Lilia enjoyed much, and so like always, she and Rion were secretly talking telepathically while she'd taken notes off the board.

" _Do you ever feel like running away sometimes?"_ Rion had asked her out of the blue. _"You know, just away from all of this?_

" _Yeah, sometimes,"_ Lilia replied ruefully, staring at her textbook showing photographs of war veterans in their old-fashioned uniforms. Those men and women all long dead, and the thought made her sad. _"It feels easier to think about doing that, than to confront things."_

" _Yeah, same…"_

Lilia had ceased scribbling notes in her book, instead beginning to draw swirly lines of waves instead, as a smile crept up on her lips. _"Why? Do you want to make a run for it?"_

" _No,"_ Rion said straight away, denial coming through on his telepathic voice. _"You know my father. He'd send the FBI after me; probably microchip me too."_

" _Don't give him ideas, or he might think about it and make my Papa do it to me too!"_

" _Hah! Like they haven't stuck enough in our heads; they've probably already gone and done it already."_

Lilia had held in a giggle, slowing the swirling of those lines drawn out from her pen around the written text. _"But let's say we did it—got away. Where would you want to go?"_

" _Me?"_ Rion sounded surprised.

" _Yes"_ Lilia responded.

There'd been a warm burning brewing in her chest then, which Lilia mistook for indigestion for a second.

" _I, I haven't really thought that far ahead."_ Rion said honestly.

" _I'm not surprised."_

There was no reaction to her backtalk. Her friend seemingly had taken the question seriously…at least, enough that it took a while for him speak again.

" _We'd be fugitives in a way right?"_ Rion sent through her mind at last. _"Guess I would just go the last place anybody would look, where they couldn't track us down."_

She'd tilted her head, losing her thoughts in the skies beyond the classroom windows, while Mrs. Peacham keeps rambling away. _"You mean, out in some desert?"_

" _Sure, I guess, or some trailer park maybe. I don't know."_

Lilia had smiled faintly. _"That would be tough, for_ _ **you.**_ _"_

" _Why'd you say that?"_ Her friend asked.

Having accidently caught the eye of a fellow student, Lilia's smile had dropped and she immediately went back to writing the teacher's notes from the board.

" _ **You**_ _, of all people in a trailer Rion? I'm not sure you could handle it…with all do respect your royal highness."_

She'd hit the right nerve, and in response, the humor was freshly coated on her friend's semi-serious tone. _"Hey, say that again and I'll send my personal butler after you."_

" _Point proven."_

" _Sure, you believe that,"_ Rion had spoken, and could almost imagine the grin on his face he might've had at the moment. " _I might be a rich kid, but I'm no—"_

Lilia immediately dropped her pen on the desk, startled by the sudden ringing in her ears. It hadn't been the bell from the fire alarm, for she knew what that sounded like, and nobody else in the classroom reacted to it except her. High-pitched, like the typical ringing one got from inside their own eardrums time to time, but deeper in…like it'd been coming from inside her own head. She couldn't think straight.

" _What is that?"_

…

" _Rion..? Hey, can you hear that, Rion?""_

"Lilia Pascalle, is there anything you'd like to address to the class?"

Her history teacher's attention had been fixed on her, the middle-aged woman revealing displeasure from having to stop her lecture to the class. More and more heads turned to stare at Lilia, as their teacher grew impatient. "Lilia Pascalle, _**are you listening to me?**_ "

" _Rion, Rion come on."_

The ringing rose and fell in volume, disappearing for seconds only to come back high-pitched, the degree of giving her a headache.

"I, um…" Lilia had lowered hers hands down from her head, but the ringing persisted. A sickly feeling began festering in the pit of her stomach, the same fear that forced her to start gathering her things into her school bag.

She just knew.

She knew what'd happened.

"Miss Pascalle!" her teacher called sharply and questioned her behavior, but Lilia hadn't stopped. She was already up, walking speedily through the rows of other school kids staring at her strangely as she went for the door.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't feel good! I have to go to the nurse's office!"

That was a lie.

Lilia never went to the nurse's office. One of her friends from another class, Fuu, had bumped into her when coming out from the girl's bathroom, and tried to flag her down after seeing she was in distress, but Lilia had ignored her and kept running. What was the point? She wouldn't have understood, or even believed her story anyway.

She left school premises, panicking and in a flood of tears as she ran for home. The whole time she'd been trying to contact Rion, but there's was only that infuriating ringing in her head that would come back in response, not her friend.

" _Rion, answer me! Can't you hear me!?"_

Her whole world felt it'd been falling apart that day, feeling a deep betrayal from Papa, from knowing he and Mr. Steiner had something to do with it.

From then onwards Rion's voice…Lilia couldn't hear it anymore. The ties that bind them remained intact, but communicating to each other through their minds was no longer possible. Interference stopped them. She'd sensed it a great number of times, Rion trying to reach her, like she tried to reach him. The pressure would build in her brain when that ringing her head starting up, and both would increase tenfold the harder he tried get through.

It didn't take a genius to figure out their fathers had gone through with their plan, and whatever they had done, it had worked.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Lilia."

She hadn't been able look at Papa after he'd arrived home a few hours after she did, having been informed by the school she wasn't there. Papa had been mad for a bit, but not very long when he'd seen the state she was in.

He'd been sat at the edge of her bed, trying to make peace between them, but Lilia wasn't open to hearing anything. She'd kept her back turned to him from where she'd laid curled up on the blankets in her room. So many aggressive impulses had crowded her head from her and Rion's emotions, that Lilia would've screamed at Papa if she wasn't so mentally exhausted from the hours of crying. Anguish wore heavy on her thoughts by that point, with the ringing tuning in and out like a radio frequency from her friend still trying futilely to make contact.

Lilia had no more tears to shed, not in front of Papa.

There'd been silence, long and uncomfortable while the clock on her nightstand ticked the seconds and minutes away. Next to it was a small framed photo of her mother, with her short auburn hair, warm brown eyes, and the smile like an angel.

Dorothy.

It made Lilia sick, thinking Papa had requested all those years ago to Mr. Steiner that they give their new super computer the name of her late mother.

She'd heard her father exhale a sigh, his guilt ridden voice breaking Lilia from that train of thought. "Dorothy isn't the only reason we've kept the two of you apart. It's best you know that now."

It'd been enough of a pull, intriguing Lilia so that she'd turned her head to peer at him from over her shoulder, uncaring if he saw how red her eyes were.

"Know what?" Lilia had asked confused.

Having pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, her father's expression was one of same, unable to look at her. "We haven't been completely honest with the two of you. Steiner believed it in your best interests for you both to be kept protected until the right time, but you should know the truth."

"The truth?" having sat up, the ringing in Lilia's head persisted again, from her friend's voice unheard, though Rion tried. "What are you talking about?"

Her father had taken a few moments to prepare, wringing his hands together and adjusting his watch as he'd often done when nervous. It took a few minutes for Papa to explain everything, and nothing more.

From then onwards, it all made sense…

* * *

Nine days later, it was her fourteenth birthday. Fourteen years on this planet, yet Lilia believed she had nothing to celebrate.

She finally understood, why she and Rion were kept apart, but Lilia couldn't stop feeling resentment to Papa and Mr. Steiner for being part of it. Other teenagers her age complained about being grounded and so forth, but she'd been cut off from her closest and dearest friend in the world, and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to see or speak to Rion again. Going off to secretly meet, it wasn't going to happen, not when trust from their fathers limited them more than ever.

Papa let up on the taxi service deal, allowing Lilia to go to school on her own terms, and even allowed her to hang out with her friends again. However now, he rang her more frequently on her mobile, wanting to know where she would be going after school, and telling her to be back by a certain time. It wasn't that bad, but having her father keep a close eye on her was added stress on her mind.

Lilia dreaded to think how strict Mr. Steiner was being with Rion, and if that private tutor her friend spoke about actually came to fruition. Despite the outbursts of anger surging out from him and into her no longer being on a daily basis, Lilia still feared the worst or him. The days became felt empty without her friend there just a whisper away in her mind. She'd lost a part of herself, and she wanted it back so much…that, it was the way it had to be. Still, being home alone when Papa was off working late became too much sometimes, and often by force of habit, she'd wind up speaking to Rion through her thoughts, fully aware he couldn't receive them.

Becoming depressed by it all, Lilia began distancing herself from around peers, along with Fuu, Maggie and her few other friends who'd try to cheer her up to no resolve. No longer was she able to focus on school, and left homework incomplete. Given enough time, her grades would've probably started dropping if she'd still been going to school now. And so what if they had? Lilia didn't care anymore about getting top scores or grades, or getting into the best college or university; education was trivial compared to the real problems going on in her life.

For her fourteenth birthday, she'd chosen to spend it alone, blowing off all offers from their friends to do something 'fun'. Yes, Lilia would've stayed cooped up in the house practicing the piano that was her only escape, but Papa soon put a stop to that idea. He'd arranged not to work with Mr. Steiner on her birthday, and so for that day, Papa spent it with her. He'd taken her to a nature reserve, the one outside of the city that Elsa visited with her and Rion when they were younger. It'd been a long time since Lilia had gone there herself, and the first time in a long time with Papa.

The reserve was still beautiful as always, with so much woodlands and nature surrounding them. Lilia could hear the gentle flow of the river; saw squirrels climbing up trees and that earthy pine smell she couldn't forget. There were no flowers, or honey bees, and it was much colder she would've preferred. It was getting to that time of the year when the leaves were starting to change color on the trees, but still so beautiful and serene.

She forgot there were so few places like that left in the world where mankind hadn't left their mark, and how lucky the Steiners were to live over in the forest district. That day Lilia rediscovered her love of such things and wonderful it was to be somewhere like that. She craved to be a part of nature, away from cities and people.

"You know, this is where I met your mother."

This wasn't unfamiliar knowledge. Papa had shared this story with her before. But in her saddened mood, Lilia was willing to listen, if just to gain some peace inside her troubled mind.

"Yeah…you said she worked in the centre."

Papa had smiled by that from where he was sat on that bench with her, wrapped up in his old brown business coat with a wooly scarf around his neck. His gaze fell upon the nature reserve centre that was just across from them on the other side of a picturesque river. Crossing that elegant wooden bridge, the reserve centre was made of timber designed to resemble a large cabin, and there had been an open deck area where the café was.

Customers were mostly seated inside at the tables that weekend, the clanking of plates and chatter of gossip carried from the open glass doors. Some small children played outside, and a few dog walkers and joggers were about the place, yet it felt as though she and Papa were mere spectators, looking in on their lives—invisible and unnoticed like ghosts.

"Something about Dot drew me to her instantly. It took me forever to muster the courage to invite her out; I wasn't the best when it came to _conversing_ with women." Lightly removing his spectacles, Papa began cleaning the lenses with a handkerchief from his pocket. "It was a curse. Whenever she spoke, I became tongue-tied and I could never say what I wanted to. She must've thought me bizarre."

Lilia had tried to picture her mother in that place, her photo in this setting, smiling heavenly as she worked away serving customers. The mother in her mind was perfect, a flawless being who would later unknowingly captured her Papa's heart, and lead off to the chain of events to marriage, Lilia's birth, and her mother's death.

She'd wrinkled the candy bar wrapper in her hands, lacking the appetite to finish the final piece inside. It was the candy bar Toffee & Chocolate Crunch, but Lilia wasn't the one who enjoyed eating them...

"Mother said yes, didn't she?" Lilia said lightly, her words weak. "You said she did."

"Yes, certainly," Papa said with a smile, squinting over at that centre through his blurred vision. "Dot laughed so much later on when I told her my reasons for really been in there asking for all sorts of things off the menu. She assumed me to be picky with my food, not bashful of her. I never thought for a moment she would fall for somebody like me." Placing his spectacles back on, Papa rubbed at his mouth. "With her there everything fitted, and you coming into our lives made it all that much greater. She had everything planned you know, what school you would go to, and what we would teach you. She wanted the very best for you, Lilly"

Lilia had hunched her shoulders, her grip having closed around the candy bar wrapper as she'd sucked on her lips. No longer was she able to look at her father, while his sad eyes remained focused on that nature reserve centre, living a lost past.

"Am I anything like her?"

Papa had scratched at his chin, a tinge of something bittersweet there on his features. "Most definitely; she always had a good heart on her…so, considerate of others, but smart."

"Smarter than you?" Lilia asked teasingly.

That had gotten a chuckle out of him. "Perhaps."

No memories, not one. It was never easy losing somebody, but it was harder when Lilia had no recollection of her own mother. She was just a baby after all. When she saw other children with her parents or their mothers like a complete family, she would envy them, yet hope they never took for granted what they had because like her it could be lost in an instant.

It wasn't fair.

"I wished I'd gotten to know her," Lilia said, as she'd dug her heels into the ground, trying to hold off the tears. She'd heard ringing inside her head, from Rion probably affected by her mood change. Getting a hold of herself, Lilia tried to calm down, not wanting to worry her friend or bring him down with her when she'd sensed things so rocky with him.

" _I'm okay."_

The ringing, it stopped and a hollow feeling carved itself out from her chest.

"I think she would've wanted the same," Papa said, when at last he'd noticed something amiss with her, and concern immediately was upon him as he'd consoled her. "Oh Lilly…the Gods what am I doing? I apologize It's your birthday; I'm supposed to be cheering you up."

"No, it's okay. I like it when you talk about her," Lilia had answered, forcing a smile she wanted to feel so badly. "Thank you."

Seemingly believing things were well enough with her, Papa had given a small acknowledging nod, and stood up surveying the woodlands and the winding trails through it which were kept so well tidy for visitors. "Why don't we go for one last walk before lunch? I could do with the excise."

"Yeah, sure." Getting up, Lilia contemplated her thoughts, before pocketing the remainder of her candy bar away. "I think there's a path around the small lake we missed. Els…um…I went there once years ago. I wouldn't mind going there."

And that's exactly where they went. There'd been geese floating on the water's surface, the lake surrounded by those weeping willows to have grown much larger in those years since she'd last been there as a child. Lilia regretted neglecting such visits here, but enjoyed the time she and Papa had spent at the nature reserve. They were there for a near two hours more, eating out at the café in that centre while they talked about ordinary stuff and ordinary things. Her father brought up wanting to try out painting again during all of it, something he would later make the effort for by getting together the supplies of watercolors and oil paints, with the intent of teaching her too.

On the drive home, they listened to songs from bands back from the 20th and 21st century. It was from the special collection of music Papa had gotten her for her birthday, because of Lilia's love for old songs. He joked she came from another time, because she rarely ever listened to music from the present. Maybe that one thing, she could let pass on her disinterest in history, for music was her heart and soul. On that drive home, it was like she and Papa were a time traveling duo in their little time machine, listening to the voices of the past and even trying to sing along to a few. They just made stupid fools out of themselves, laughing by the end, and it was okay, even if things under the surface weren't.

Lilia wasn't a fool. She understood what Papa had been trying to do. He felt bad for cutting her off from her friend, and was trying to make up for lost time by spending more of it with her. If only she'd known they only had a few days left, maybe…who knows, she would've made that more effort.

"Lilia, I almost forgot. This is for you."

It was a package Papa was holding out to her after they'd come home, having taken it out from the broom closet by the front door. Lilia had already been heading to the stairs to go up to her room, when there her Papa was handing it to her, yet another gift. But this was different than the others presents, for the wrapping was plain brown, and neatly tied up with string.

"Elsa asked me to give it to you when I left Steiner's yesterday evening. I insisted I shouldn't take it since we agreed on…well, Albert doesn't need to know." Her father turned away after giving the gift to her, and went to hang his coat on the rack. "Just this one time, we can let it pass."

"How, how is she?" Lilia rushed out with. "Elsa, how is she doing?"

It was rare she got to ask about the Steiners. Often Papa preferred she didn't or he only kept to the basics, but now, being out of touch with Rion, she was desperate more than ever for news.

So fortunate for Lilia, her father was open to sharing that day.

"She's well, very good actually…all of the Steiners'," Papa hesitated, rubbing the tip of his nose with a thoughtful look in his grey eyes. "Elsa was just telling me before I left that, Albert's been playing chess with his son of late; apparently the boy's beaten him on more than one occasion, so well it seems there may be another chess master in his midst. Time will tell I suppose."

"Yeah, I guess…"

It was slow and rehearsed, as if her father had been preparing to tell her that, whether she'd asked about the family or not. The news of father and son seeming to be making a bends brought a great bout of relief and sorrow, for as glad as Lilia was for them, it made her feel empty inside still. She had been missing playing those board games with Rion, but at least she knew why his temper had died off some.

Lilia almost brought it up to Papa, if there was someway to reverse the block placed on their abilities so she could at least speak with her friend again…but she lost her nerve, knowing the answer.

"Well, I think I'm going to make myself a coffee," her father said after lightly clearing his throat, and so he'd gone on his way, heading for the kitchen.

Glancing down at that package in her arms, Lilia quickly gathered her jumbled thoughts.

"Th, thanks!" She'd called out to her father just as he was about to leave that small hallway. "Can you please tell her I said thank you!?"

Papa had hesitated in the doorway, before giving her a small nod.

"Of course."

She was up in her room in a flash, jumping onto her bed to start pulling away the string and unwrap that package. The present inside revealed to her was a beautiful single strap vest, beige with big silver buttons, and there was a birthday card that came with it, one with flowers on the cover—so typical of Elsa.

Inside it'd read:

 _ **To the birthday girl**_

 _ **I caught word you were feeling blue, and couldn't help myself in picking this out for you. Sorry if this isn't in your size. I hope it fits and it's to your liking.**_

 _ **As my mother used to say, our friends and the people we care about are like stars. Even if we can't be seen, they'll always be there.**_

 _ **Happy 14**_ _ **th**_ _ **Birthday**_

It wasn't signed, probably to keep it anonymous like the discreet packaging. The card had made Lilia glow, feeling the words coming right off the card as if spoken from the woman herself. Even after all that time, Elsa was still capable of mothering her from afar.

Setting the card aside, Lilia had lifted it up the vest as it unfolded to reveal more buttons and a belt attached to it with pouches…and as it did, something small fell out from the piece of attire. It dropped onto her lap, almost sliding off her leg and onto the floor if she hadn't been quick and caught it.

It was another present, a little thing with colorful wrapping paper of balloons and clowns that made Lilia think of her childhood clown doll that went missing just a few weeks before. Cautiously she'd opened it, gently tearing away the wrapping to find herself holding a pink bangle, the smooth plastic reflective in the light when turned. 'Pretty,' she remembered thinking

Her confusion was amplified when finding a small card came with it, yet on flipping it over, her heart skipped a beat. On the front of the card there was a painting of a theme park, with a Ferris wheel, and inside there was short message. The handwriting was by someone else for it wasn't as elegant as Elsa's, but Lilia already knew whose it belonged to.

 _ **You said you liked pink once**_

 _ **Happy Birthday**_

Lilia had never cried receiving anything before, but on that day she'd sobbed like a baby, both sad and happy tears.

" _Thank you."_ She'd telepathically sent out to her distant friend as she hugged those two gifts close to her, wishing that it was both mother and son instead. _"Thank you…"_

* * *

Three weeks later, it started.

Lilia had been sat at her desk late one night, still in the clothes she'd worn when spending time over with her friend Fuu, Maggie and the others. For some unknown reason she couldn't explain, she hadn't been able to sleep well for the last few days. There was this ever growing uneasy festering inside her, which made Lilia uncomfortable in her own skin. Whether at school or at home, she couldn't escape it wherever she went, like eyes were on her 24/7. With this increasing paranoia, was a rising frustration, like Lilia wanted to do something about all this, but the problem was, she wasn't sure how.

To cope, Lilia started reading books on computer science, particular her father's copy of The New Replicative Computer Theory, of which Albert Steiner had written some years ago before Dorothy's creation. She'd never thought of following in her father's footsteps, but in light of everything, Lilia decided she wanted to learn it, if best to understand Dorothy more. Computing using algorithm, writing codes in the programming language of pythons, that was simple enough to follow. Reading Albert Steiner's book and those theories of his was a slower process, for the man was on a higher intellect level she wasn't yet capable of.

For a machine like Dorothy that functioned like a living organism, there was a deep complexity to what made Dorothy, _Dorothy_ , and it almost scared Lilia by how much. 'Synthetic Life', reading it made Lilia think of the androids that were becoming all the rage for how realistic they were to resembling humans, and the controversy they were stirring up too across the globe.

When those books could do no more, and her head was overloaded with knowledge and weighed down by restlessness, it was then Lilia sat herself at her desk to write. There was a letter she had been trying to compose for weeks, and kept tripping over her own words and what she wanted to express. Still Lilia kept at it, in the hopes that somehow she could deliver it to Rion and his mother, despite having no idea how she was going to do that without Papa or Albert Steiner finding out. Truth be told, Lilia's attempts were never coherent letters, and that night was no different than the others she'd written and torn up. The letter began with her thanking Rion and Elsa for the bangle and vest Lilia had almost religiously worn since, and she told them she missed them. Then the letter's focus directed itself on Rion, writing about the unfairness of the roles they had to play, and how if only all of this would end.

 _ **I keep thinking of the carnival, and how much fun we had that night. I wish every day could be like that for us. Maybe you were right about running away. I don't think you were joking, were you Rion? I'd thought about it too once, the two of us runaways, but I know I'd miss home and Papa too much. After what he said, it would've been too dangerous anyway.**_

 _ **I envy other people being able to be just people. I miss talking to you. I sometime think that maybe you can hear me, but I don't know. Still I wind up talking anyway, pretending that you can. I can't help it.**_

It'd been over a month cut off from Rion. Those episodes of ringing in her head were less frequent, as if her friend lost hope of breaking whatever stopped them from communicating. His emotions had many ups and downs in that time, his happiness sparse through the low mood he experienced great bouts of, along with anger. Sometimes though, when she spoke to him out of habit, Lilia could've sworn whatever bad mood he was in at the time would settle. Coincidence and not, she continued doing that, talking about her day and the past, just to help herself feel better.

Lilia could tell Rion was sleeping at the time she wrote that letter, and it felt easier that way, getting stuff off her chest without his feelings interfering with her own. Maybe he or Elsa would never have been able to read that letter, and Lilia would've torn it up and throw it away like the rest, knowing it was unlikely she'd be able to get it to them. Whatever the case, Lilia never got to finish writing it.

The lamp at her desk suddenly shut off along with all the lights inside the house. She'd looked up, and just a second later, the streetlamps outside went out too. Sighing, Lilia had gotten up and walked to her bedroom window to pull aside the curtain, where she discovered the neighboring houses were blacked out too. A power cut, and tied only to that district, as Lilia had seen lights still visible off across towards the city, and the Mushroom Tower…

There had been a burst of activity from her father's bedroom down the hall, things falling on the floor like he was busy searching around for something, and being as quiet as a rampaging bull in a china shop. The second she'd heard Papa coming towards her room, she'd hurried in shoving the papers of that unfinished letter into her desk, just managing to slide the drawer shut as the door flew open and she was blinded by a flashlight.

"We're leaving, _now!_ " Papa said upon entering as if it were a direct command. At first Lilia thought she was in trouble again, but then she'd noticed how manic her father's expression was with fear. There'd been a bag over his shoulder, like he were packed ready to go.

Confused and taken aback, Lilia had only stood there. "W…What? Papa—"

He hadn't waited around. Her father had gone straight over to Lilia, alarming her by how hard he'd gripped her wrist as he'd started dragging her to the door. "Now Lilia! I'll explain everything later! We have to get out of here!"

Dorothy.

A cold chill swept through her. It was happening, the time had come...

No time grab anything, they'd bolted downstairs and gone out the front door, not even stopping to grab their coats or for Lilia put some shoes on. She had run in her bare socks, across the cold stony driveway where her father went about unlocking the door garage. He'd made her to hold the flashlight as he went about pushing the door up, and that's when they'd heard it—an enormous crash of glass breaking from inside the house.

Startled, Lilia had turned around shining the light towards their house. Her body seized up immediately from hearing what sounded like a loud screech from one of the rooms upstairs, like…like an eagle of some kind.

Papa pushed the flashlight down and snatched it away from her, shutting it off. Grabbing the keys out from his pocket, he had unlocked that cherished vintage car of his.

"Get in!" he'd ordered.

She'd already been edging back towards the vehicle, eyes glued to the house. "But, what was that!?"

"Just get in, Lilia!"

There'd been the deep grumbles like those from a tiger or big cat, as blackened figures emerged out from the bushes. They were shaped like people and walked on two legs, but were hunched over and skinny as carried by mere bones. They'd gathered in groups like a pack, and by their rigid movements alone, she knew they weren't human.

Lilia had nearly screamed, already tearing open the car door to get inside. Papa had soon followed, tossing the bag he'd been carrying onto her lap as he frantically inserted the car keys into the ignition. The engine sprung to life, and the headlights snapped on...and Lilia never forgot what she saw.

Lit up by the beams, strange creatures came charging at the car, a flash of skinless bodies made of muscles, long claws and teeth, and huge red bug eyes that glowed. They were things of nightmares.

"Gods!" Papa had slammed his foot down on the gas peddle, just clipping the sides of the garage walls as they pulled out onto the driveway. The monstrosities lunged at the car, creating a loud bang as they hit the hood, but they were knocked aside like pins in bowling as the vehicle sped off.

Lilia had cowered in her seat, covering her eyes when one such creature slammed against her passenger door, cracking the glass. Yellow goo was left splattered on the window, not blood like a normal animal that would bleed. Those monsters, a whole choir of their terrifying animal-like shrieks broke out through the night as she and Papa sped away, along…with what had sounded like laughter, cackling.

Lilia had been hyperventilating, her heart hammering in her chest as Papa drove them out of the darkened neighborhood, leaving behind the home they had lived in for over seven years.

"What…wh...what were those things?" she'd barely managed to choke out.

She remembered Papa being pale, his fearful eyes wide and alert, focused on the road ahead. Lilia had never seen him like that before, so spooked. "Dorothy's experiments; I recognize them from the research data we hacked. She must've found out." He'd banged his fist on the dashboard. "Albert that fool! I told him it was a bad idea, but he just wouldn't listen."

The repulsive yellow goo splattered on the passenger window had been seeping in through some of the broken cracks in the glass. Lilia had pressed her back far into her seat, clutching her seatbelt as the vivid images of those terrifying creature crossed her mind.

"Experiments? But how!? She's a machine! She can't do that!"

"The hospital, Dorothy's…I'll explain once we stop, okay?"

"No, I want to hear it now!"

"Lilia there isn't time. I have to concentrate incase we're being followed," Papa said hastily, putting his foot down on the gas. The car picked up more speed. "I need you to contact the Steiners, the boy; can you do that?"

"But Rion can't hear me." Lilia responded, a shaky mess.

"That doesn't matter. Just, try," Papa urged frustrated. "Don't question me, Lilia. Just do as I say."

Unclenching her seatbelt, Lilia had looked away from her father and focused on the long road ahead lit up by the headlights. Through the will of her mind, she called out to her friend through those miles between them.

" _Rion, can you hear me? Wake up! You have to wake up!"_

Of course it hadn't work. It never had. Whenever she or Rion were asleep, it was impossible to communicate with the other. Lilia had better chance of it raining candy than talking her friend out of the land of nod.

"It's no good. I—ah!"

The tires screeched when Papa turned a sharp bend. The car reared to one side, the force pushing Lilia over to the right, and she'd winced upon bumping her head against the side of her passenger door. Some seconds later, ringing erupted in her head; low at first, the noise had grown louder. The heart jumped in her chest, a new wave of panic transferred over by her friend.

And so Lilia closed her eyes and concentrated harder than ever.

" _Rion! Rion! You have to get out! You and your parents are in danger. You have to go now!"_

More incessant ringing, anxiety had knotted in her stomach, but she wasn't sure if it was enough, or if any of her messages were getting through. The dull ache from the side of her head became an eureka moment then, realizing if she couldn't alert him of the danger through her voice, then she had to do so by other means…

" _Rion hurry! GO_!"

"Lilia? Lilia what in the—stop that!" Papa had yelled at her, reaching to wrench her hand away from where she'd been biting into her palm. Lilia drew blood, and it hurt like hell, but it wasn't deep. It did what it had to. Her friend was aware something was wrong, as the panic was amplified on his receiving end.

"It's okay, he knows now," She'd gasped, clutching her hand as it bled. The taste of blood was coppery on her tongue. "Maybe I, I think…"

Papa gaped at her like she was some kind of lunatic. He'd cleared his throat as they drove into brighter areas not affected by the blackout, where the streetlamps were lit. "Well…then, then good. Let's hope that's enough, just don't do that again," her father said quietly, almost withdrawn. "If that boy's got any sense to tell his parents, then the Steiners won't ignore it. I only pray Albert listens."

"Why can't you just call them?" Lilia had asked. "What you did to us, can't you just…like, I don't know get rid of it so I talk to Rion and warn them?"

"It's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do from here," Papa replied. "Besides Dorothy will be listening; calling them, it would only allow her to trace us."

Anxiously her eyes had sought her bracelet, and her beige vest. "Then we have to go to them!"

"We can't, Lilia," Papa told her, while overtaking a car ahead of them. "It's too risky, and you're too valuable to lose."

"But they'll be in trouble—"

"I know!" Papa had shouted, causing her jaw to lock tight. Too afraid to speak out, things went quiet, her father not saying a word while he concentrated on driving. He was keeping them off the main roads, and she could tell by the signs he'd been taking them away from the city, away from Dorothy, and the Steiners.

Lilia broke out in a cold sweat, a shiver tingling on her skin as Rion's unease within her spread. The car finally going at a less manic speed, Papa reached into his pocket and gave her his handkerchief.

"Here, apply pressure on it. Last thing you need right now is an infection."

Without protest Lilia did so, the wound on her hand stinging, but she didn't complain. Her hands were trembling on her lap; she wasn't able to stop shaking. It was cold out, but not that cold.

Her father released a long rattling sigh from nerves. He'd sounded less agitated that time. "I don't like this either Lilia, but Dorothy will anticipate us going there. We have no other choice. If…if we lose that virus program inside your head, we're all dead."

Lilia had said nothing. She'd only stared at the blood on that white handkerchief with the double R.P's stitched into it, the red stain dark in contrast to her skin.

"They'll be fine, everything will be fine." Papa reassured, having brushed a hand through the back of his thinning hair. "For now we stick to the plan Albert and I agreed upon. We'll wait at the meet up point for them; just keep trying to make contact for me until we get there, please."

She couldn't….her head was pounding, as her insides had begun knotting in terror.

Blood on her hand, blood in her mind, it was all she saw.

Lilia had squeezed her eyes shut, hunching over in her seat with the images of blood unable to be shaken away.

"I only hope Albert bothered to move that wrecked doll, then maybe…Lilia? Lilia!" The car slowed down, as Papa had pulled them over to the side of the road. The engine still on, his voice had been filled with worried. "Lilia what's the matter!? Talk to me!"

She'd seen it clear as day, the flash of something that nearly scared her to death like the monsters.

 _Blood dripping down toppled cardboard boxes…blood smeared on the polished floors at her feet, where lifeless eyes stared up at her in the dark, from inside the sockets of a skull that'd been caved in._

 _Mr. Steiner…_

Dropping the handkerchief, Lilia dug her nails into her scalp as she'd let out of a scream. The ringing erupted louder in her head than it ever had before. The tears involuntarily began to fall from her eyes, that car becoming cramped like she was trapped in a cage. She couldn't breathe!

"No…no, no! NO! NO!"

"Lilia!?" Papa's hand landed on her shoulder, and instinctively she'd shoved him back.

"Don't touch me! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Lilia!"

She'd struggled to free herself from her seatbelt, clawing at the handle to push the car door open, and without even thinking Lilia had gone sprinting off into cold night, back down the road they'd traveled from.

Her father's door clicked opened seconds afterwards, having gone running right after her, shouting her name.

It'd been a stupid thing to do. More of those monsters could've been after them, and there Lilia had gone and bailed from their only set of wheels. She hadn't been thinking straight, blinded by that sixth sense feeling inside her—the desperate need to escape.

At the very same time, she was being pulled towards her friend. Despite all the distance between them, she was running with everything in her, as if she alone could save him and his family. Logic wasn't there, just the ringing that was blaring like a siren in her head.

Rion was terrified, he was so scared.

" _Run! You have to get away! Get far away!"_

Her foot had caught on an uneven part of ground, or some rocks; it'd been enough to bring Lilia down, scratching up her hands and knees as she'd landed in the dirt by the side of the road. The fall had brought her to her senses for only a moment…until she saw it again, something that shouldn't exist.

 _The image of a clock clamped in teeth was burned into her mind. A spilled milk carton mixed with blood, where vegetables soaked in the dark liquid like soup._

 _Pale skin, blonde hair where grey matter was exposed, belonging to the face of a woman she recognized…_

"E-Elsa?" Involuntarily Lilia began shaking, struggling for breath. She couldn't move, her body frozen solid in place on the ground.

" _Run! Get out of there Rion! RUN!"_

As unprecedented terror from her friend consumed her, Papa had caught up and grabbed her from behind.

 _Shadows…in her mind's eye she'd seen shadows looming from around her._

 _Men in dark coats, they had her surrounded._

She'd screamed, and tried to run again. But Papa, he'd held onto her, locking his arms around her tightly as she'd started kicking and screaming.

"Lilia it's me! IT'S ME! You have to calm down!"

A slam of pain struck her in the back of the head, but her Papa was not the cause.

 _She'd been lying on the ground, the shadows all around her. And from above, she'd seen the face of a child, a boy floating on the ceiling with a sinister grin down at her…_

It was to be then, like a snap of the fingers, hers and Rion's connection went abruptly calm and the ringing, it'd stopped. Rion was there, but unresponsive like before when he was sleeping. Lilia knew what it meant, what'd happened as she lost all fight in her, and she couldn't control herself.

"Lilia, it's alright. It's okay," Her father had been there on hand, hugging her as she'd broken down crying. By then she'd been in too much distress, fearing those glimpses of strange visions and what truth they may hold. The Steiners had been attacked, by something different than those creatures back at the house, and her friend was left unconscious somewhere, helpless against Dorothy...and Lilia couldn't do a thing about it.

In that brief moment, anger had surged through her like a hurricane.

"No it's not! IT'S NOT!" Lilia cried through the tears, near to shouting at the top of her lungs when she'd pushed her father away. "Stop lying! She's got them! Albert and Elsa are dead!"

Papa had stared in silent shock, before he'd insisted her to be wrong, but she assured him she wasn't. Lilia knew it in her heart, and from what she'd seen the; Mr. and Mrs. Steiner were dead, and Rion was in grave danger. Yet her father was slow to believe her, for he was too stubborn and afraid within himself to admit it.

Beyond of the road's barricades, across those many miles off into darkness, were the bright lights of Michelangelo City. The Mushroom Tower stood tall, its presence almost mocking them. The world felt as if it ended that night, and in a way, it did.

Shortly after, they would continue to travel further away from the city. Under a bridge some distance off, was where she and Papa had waited in the car for hours with the lights off. It was the meet up point for the two families, as arranged by Papa and Mr. Steiner in an emergency such as this.

But the family never showed up.

That'd been one month ago, and for that entire duration Lilia had been alone. Mr. and Mrs Steiner were dead; Rion was gone; her Papa was missing.

There was nobody left but her, and the beings hunting her down.

Galerians…


End file.
